A Nightmare Remembered
by Noir Ecrivain
Summary: Four years ago, when Evelyn Hallows came to the land of Halloween and met King Jack Skellington, both thought their encounter was simply a chance meeting between two otherworldly people. Through love and loss and a past revealed, Jack must now journey to the land of the living to reclaim the woman he loves with the knowledge of what's at stake should he fail... *Please R&R!*
1. Chapter 1: A Time Haunted

_A Nightmare Remembered… _

_Chapter One: A Time Haunted_

"Hello?" he called out. But there was no one and nothing. His only company was the black that filled the void, however empty it truly was. He was wary to walk forward, viewing nothing beneath his feet. As he began to lift his foot, he heard a small noise, almost like a hum. He looked quickly to his left and then right, a familiar, yet long forgotten feeling creeping over him. Suddenly the black of the abyss began to drip with colors of scenery. Grays, blues, purples, and blacks leaked from what seemed to be everywhere and yet nowhere. He heard footsteps not belonging to his own, for he hadn't ventured to move his own legs yet. The colors began to bring into view a place with which he had never been before, yet something about it seemed oddly familiar. A bright, pale moon hung above a grove of dying trees, orange leaves clinging to the dead branches.

Hidden below these sad, dying trees was something, something he couldn't quite make out. A growing feeling in the pit of his chest told him to inch closer and so he did. As he walked a figure took shape out of a surrounding fog. It seemed to move up and down ever so softly. He realized then it was a person and they appeared to be weeping. Sadness fell over him in an overpowering wave. He felt the need to run over and comfort this person. His pace quickened, but was brought to a halt quite suddenly when he finally realized just who he was looking at. He felt his shoulders sink, his legs grow weak, and his heart heavy. There she lay under the pale moon light, body shielded from the cold only by a black lace corset and torn gray chiffon skirt. The black of her mascara ran down her cheeks, dotting her gown. Her lips, red and untouched as the petals of a rose bud in bloom.

He felt the sob within him, with no way to come out for now he knew where he was and in turn, remembered who he was. He wouldn't touch her, he couldn't touch her. He fell to his knees before her, his head hung. The pain of the sorrow flowing through him was almost more than he could bear. And before he faded away, a whisper fell from his lips… "I love you…"

oOo

Nothing moved, shifted, or even noticed as Jack Skellington jolted awake. The bats hanging from the bare branches glared at him, dully. Jack looked up at the gray, cloudy sky and felt the hard, cold ground below him. He had woken up, not in his own bed and room, but sprawled upon the dirt of the Hinterlands. He sighed and brought his hands to his face in frustration. This had happened so often, around once or twice every week aside from the months of October and December, where it happened all the more frequently.

Jack grunted slightly as his hoisted himself into an upright position. He leaned over his boney knees, placing his equally boney elbows upon them. All at once, he realized how very alone he was at the moment. And yet, he never truly felt alone at all, but rather that something small, timid even, and faint lingered around him. It had been this way ever since, _she_, had left. Jack could already feel his thoughts becoming troubled. Suddenly he spotted a white wisp on the horizon.

"Zero!" Jack shouted to his loyal companion. At the sound of his master's voice, Zero darted over to where he lay. Upon reaching him, he danced and twirled around Jack, who to the dog's dismay, showed no response to this happiness. Zero began to whimper and whine. Jack absent-mindedly patted his mutt's head, but glared ahead at the empty landscape. However he thought of nothing, but simply stared, not wanting to move, think, or feel. The glowing pumpkin sun began to peak from behind the black-gray clouds and Jack realized he really didn't want to be where he was right now, but where could he go and what would he do? _Do_, he thought. He remembered then that it was October 1st and that meant the start of the most rigorous month of the year for him. Although he felt sorrowful and hollow, as he did every year, he couldn't ignore his holiday, one of the last things he truly loved that he could still have near him. But these days, even Halloween seemed to have emptiness to it.

Slowly, Jack rose to his feet. He looked down at Zero and motioned for him to start towards town. Zero lifted and licked Jack's 'cheek' and Jack, in turn, scratched behind Zero's ears. As they walked, Jack could feel it. _ That_ feeling. Something, dancing around him like a taunting wisp, a ghost of a ghost, reminding him, forcing upon him. He pressed his hands against his head, as if to drown out this tormenting shade. He looked up and could see the town coming into focus. He sighed and quickened his pace. He needed something, anything to take his mind off of this horror. He could start to feel the feeling fall off of him and he broke into a run. The heaviness was inching off of him. As he took his first step into town and all seem to clear and lift, a soft, fast voice shot into his ear and called out, "Jack!"

Jack fell into town upon his knees. He couldn't take anymore; this sadness and haunting had been lingering upon him for four years now. He closed his eyes hard and pressed his hands against his head.

"Stop…stop please!" he begged nothing. Zero whimpered sadly and began to howl. Jack crawled to the Town Centre Fountain and hung himself over it. His shoulders rose and fell, he appeared to be sobbing, but no tears formed. They never did and the sorrow just continued to grow. He looked over into the flowing water of the fountain and saw his reflection. Once again what looked back was disappointing…


	2. Chapter 2: An Intangible Bond

_A Nightmare Remembered_

_Chapter 2: An Intangible Bond_

She scratched at the ground, gripping the dead leaves between her fingers. Anything to feel just that much closer to...oh whatever it was. That was the problem. What was it that she was trying to feel closer to? In fact what was that thing that she was feeling at all? A ghost? Some sort of entity that demanded every bit of her attention, virtually every hour of the day. However it wasn't always faceless. From time to time, it would take some sort of form. Whether in her dreams or as a wisp in the corner of her eye. Her mind was torn, her heart felt as if it was in poorly replaced pieces, falling apart again one by one.

Everyday was a little bit harder and a little vaguer than the next. At the beginning it was different. She could still smell the spice of that air. She could feel the chilling, creeping breeze. A soft touch and a voice. Comforting, sure and loving. Something...someone special. She felt a tiny smile tug at the corner of her lips. Suddenly, thunder clouds formed over head and began to rumble and roar. Before she could be completely pulled from her thoughts, rain began to litter the ground around her.

She didn't want to leave her spot. She knew if she did, it would just get harder. At the beginning it was easy, but today, at that moment in the rain and gray, all she could see was a shadow, tall, slender, and haunting. All she could feel was a ghost, an entity, whispering silently in her ear at night, lightly brushing against her mind, and sadly, fading with every passing day. It had been five years since this feeling began and even those memories were skewed.

She could make out through the annoying mist in her mind, a cold night...Halloween night. Several screams, a figure in black, running and then, nothing. Blank. Mostly, she convinced herself it was all a dream, her next memory being waking up in her foster home, same as always. However that was had been years ago now, four to be precise. Things were much different now than they were when she was 17. Her stress and worries had tripled since then, with college, work and other projects she was currently in. There were many instances where she felt she could no longer take the worry and frustration. It was at times like that where this shadow of a feeling seemed to help. They would creep gently upon her, like a fluttering breeze on her cheek. There were times where she would lie in bed and feel a touch upon her hand, a gentle caress of the arm. Words would ring within her head, as vague and innocent as a childhood memory, and just as dear to her.

_Eve, if I ever did anything to hurt you, I would never forgive myself…_

_Maybe being abnormal in a world where being such is actually normal means…._

_Might mean that you…belong here?_

_Please do just one thing for me before this dream turns into a nightmare…_

_Eve I don't want to lose you again…_

_I love you…_

_Kiss me, J-_

And then everything, although more confusing they may be, was nice. But this was never always the case. In her times of most joy, powerful waves of overwhelming feelings would break over her and take her down. Feelings of sadness, longing, and abandonment, but above all betrayal. However this feeling seemed to follow a type of pattern, as she not long found. Whenever she was romanced or courted by men, this feeling came like a slap in the face. Something always, _always_, reminded her. She was at fault, but for what, she knew not and this, among many things, she pondered at. And that was why at this very moment she was on her knees, begging this feeling to manifest, to answer her. Something had recently happened and this feeling expanded and grew, tormenting her dreams with visions of black forests, creatures of the night, and a tall, nameless figure, blurred by time and memory.

As she laid there, cold and wet, she more felt rather than heard what words manifested in her mind at that next moment. For a moment she was overshadowed by this and the words fell from her lips.

"_Do not give away what has already been given. Do not break, when it is already broken. Do not relinquish what cannot be reclaimed, for rarity is this nature of this undisclosed desire. Think, feel, do and do not. Love truly and true love with not falter. Remember him."_

Eve shook herself of this shadow and fell on her hands and knees. She could feel the tears well within her eyes. A pit of the purest sorrow grew within her chest and she then began to sob. It was a hard, bitter, hopeless sob, emptying her of every happiness. She pounded her hands into the damp ground.

"Stop! Please just stop!" she shouted into the rain. Nothing heard her, nothing cared. She breathed heavily, trembling with overwhelming anguish. She was hopeless. She knew it would never end. The shadow darkened her every waking hour and blanketed her in her dreams. Her breath began to soften. Slowly, she began to lift her head up and a grin formed on her face. She thought about how funny it was that her pain was also her solace. In what reminded her of the nameless, faceless shadow, also brought her comfort. The dead trees, the cold, gray skies that lie above, the darkness that surrounded and gave speed to it all.

She sighed and rubbed her shoulders, she couldn't tell what were tears and what was rain anymore. She knew as soon as she got up from her place in this cold, lonely, grove of trees, she would have to go back. Go back to wearing a mask of fake emotions and skewed opinions. She would have to pretend and play along. Slowly she rose up and as she did, she saw a puddle of water that was quickly forming beside her. Moving over slightly, she looked into it. Once again, what looked back was disappointing.


	3. Chapter 3: An Overshadowing Revelation

_A Nightmare Remembered_

_Chapter Three: An Overshadowing_

A light breeze blew through the window and the black, torn drapes hanging down swayed back and forth. Jack sat in his favorite chair near the open window, but didn't notice the fluttering breeze or the soft aroma of pumpkin spice that it carried. He sat in deep and troubled thought. As a matter fact, too many thoughts ran through the Pumpkin King's mind; however the most pressing was that of Halloween. Reason being why this thought was most prevalent, was because another thought was overshadowing it. Jack sighed and massaged the sides of his skull. Suddenly a knock came at the door. The knock made Jack jump slightly. Being that only Zero was in the room, he was still embarrassed. Red in the face, had it been possible, he cleared his throat and stood up.

"Come in." he said toward the door. To Jack's surprise, Doctor Finklestein rolled into the foyer. "Why doctor, this is unexpected. Erm, to what do I owe the pleasure?" An awkward feeling began to take hold of the room, for the doctor and Jack had not had a conversation lasting more than a minute since, _it _happened. The doctor looked directly at Jack, but his expression was tired and even a bit sad.

"You don't have to do that Jack…I know you're not entirely…erm, well I just wanted to bring you the latest on the statistics." He said, narrowing evading what was really on his mind. Jack took a breath and took what seemed to be the papers with the statistics on them, out of the doctor's hands. Gripping them, he didn't look to see what they had to say just yet.

"Usually the mayor brings me these." Jack said, set of bringing out of the doctor what he really had come to say. Finklestein sighed, but said nothing, however urging with his eyes that Jack read the papers. Warily, Jack began to read, but shortly after stopped. He lowered his head and fell back into his chair. "They're just getting worse and worse. And nothing I do seems to be working." The doctor was taken aback. However subtle this reaction was, it was unusual for Jack to have. Normally, whenever Jack would be given this kind of news, nothing was said, only harder work came from him. No one else seemed to know, or maybe even care, but the doctor knew Jack was suffering in silence, but at this moment, a bit of emotion had broken through. Jack looked back up at the doctor, having just now seemed to realize what he had done. The doctor sighed.

"I'm sorry Jack. This doesn't mean it's you though. It could just be how things are now. Children, adults, _people_, they just don't get scared like they used too." He offered. Jack nodded.

"Perhaps…." He said. Finklestein nodded. Jack hung his head once again. "But you know it's me." He muttered. A suddenly both men grew painfully silent. No one and nothing made a sound for much too long. Finally the doctor felt as though he must tell Jack something.

"Jack, I-I saw you, two weeks ago…you were-" he began. The doctor was rarely this timid, in fact he never was, but in the current state of things, most everyone was. Not in fear of Jack, but rather fear of hurting him. Jack looked at Finklestein confused. "erm…well you were walking back from the direction from the Hinterlands, only you weren't really walking…"

" I was running." Jack finished. The doctor nodded. Jack leaned back in his chair. "I guess I can't very well hide it anymore." he said. He stood up and walked over to the window, he looked out it aimlessly. He was silent for only a minute. "I miss her." he said sadly. The doctor opened his mouth to reply, but was unintentionally cut off, reason being Jack was not looking at him. "I'm not sure if I would rather she miss me too, or not." He turned around to face Finklestein. "Do you think she does?" The doctor gulped. He scratched his head.

"Of course I would think she misses you Jack."

"What do you mean, you would think?"

The doctor's heart sank; it was about time Jack knew. He took a deep breath and looked Jack straight in the eye.

"I didn't know at the time how deep your love for one another went Jack. When I made the potion to send her back, I thought that she was just a whim, a girl with no real consequence. I didn't know about your shared past. So to avoid interference of any kind from her in the future…." He stopped. Jack's expression was a horrified one. The doctor shut his eyes. "I put an extra ingredient in the potion to make her forget you and her entire time here." The doctor opened his eyes. Jack was looking at the ground. He walked back to his chair once again and just stared at the ground.

"She doesn't even know I exist." he stated, rather than asked. The doctor nodded. "All this time I worried about her feeling this same pain I do…..she doesn't even know…" The doctor shifted his wheelchair, moving over to where Jack sat.

"You must know how truly sorry I am Jack." He said in a small voice.

"She can move on. Have a life. This is a good thing." Jack said. Finklestein wasn't sure what he was trying to get at.

"So…" Finklestein began, but Jack didn't hear it. He was thinking. Thinking about everything. Everything he and Eve had been through and whether he could remember it all or not, he didn't care. For all these things to happen, it couldn't just be that they were no longer apart of each other, in life or death. He loved her and if she truly loved him like he thought she did, then this was all wrong. He stood suddenly, slightly startling the doctor.

"I have to get her back!" Jack exclaimed.

"What?!" Doctor Finklestein exclaimed. Jack's eye sockets grew wide.

"I must get her back, don't you see? I love her and in getting her back I would be doing what's best for us. Please just think about it, if we weren't truly meant to be with one another, then none of this would have happened! She would have never had come here in the first place!" he said ecstatically. This was most excited Doctor Finklestein had seen Jack in years. He knew he owed it to Jack to help him win back his true love, after what he had done, but there was something else as well and he wasn't sure if he should tell Jack. He thought quietly for a second. No perhaps not…if Jack was going to win his love back, it'd best for the pure reasons Jack had and not anything that would make the venture all the more stressful. The doctor nodded.

"I have a question Jack. If you journey to get Eve back, just how do you plan on accomplishing it?" he asked. Jack grinned slightly and began going through his newly devised plan.

"Well, of course I would have to venture into the human world, find Eve…and, uh….hmmm…" Jack stopped and his expression turned blank. He stared at the floor. "ermm, well I haven't really had time to plan this out, but I will do it!" he said, clearly improvising for an answer. The room grew silent once again. The doctor turned around and motored for the door.

"I will help you Jack. Meet me at the lab the day after tomorrow, early morning." He said as he sped off.

"What are you going to do?" Jack called out after him. The doctor opened the front door.

"I'm going to make you human again…"


	4. Chapter 4: Prelude to Death

**A Nightmare Remembered**

Chapter 4: Prelude to Death

Zero was forced awake by a constant groaning that came from just above him. He lifted his head to see where it was coming from. In the corner of his eye he caught sight of Jack thrashing about in his bed. Zero whimpered and glided up to his master to maybe see what was the matter. Jack flinched, muttered and groaned, turning about within his sheets. Zero nudged at Jack in a sad attempt to wake him up, however knowing that when Jack was caught in a nightmare, it was almost impossible to wake him up. So instead, Zero sadly turned back towards his bed and decided to just let Jack finish his dream and be there for him once it was over….

0Oo

"NOOOOOOOO!" Jack yelled as loud as he had ever yelled before. He dropped the gun and darted towards Eve. Upon reaching her, he scooped her up into his arms, trembling from fear and disbelief. She was cold, her gray dressed splattered with red.

"J-Jack?" she asked weakly. Jack looked around, he had never felt so helpless in all his life or afterlife.

"Eve! Please! Stay with me!" he pleaded. She grinned meekly.

"I knew it was you….somehow I knew…knew it was you…." she whispered. She was shaking, growing colder by the second. Jack shook and shook his head. He shook too.

"Wha-what do I do Eve?" he asked, his voice breaking. Eve gulped and flinched. Jack was all but crying at this point. He had seen death before, so many times as a matter fact, and at this moment, he saw Eve's life leave her body.

"Y-you must go back." she breathed. Jack shook his head. Eve squinted as if she couldn't very well see him anymore. "You must…please, for me…."

"I can't, I can't leave you…..you can't leave me." he sobbed. Eve smiled.

"You should know better than anyone else…I'll never truly leave you….please. I cannot be saved, but Halloween can. Please Jack."

"Eve…"

"Jack….I-I love you….." she said upon her final breath. Jack filled with horror and disbelief as Eve fell limp within his arms.

"No…no, no, no, no, NO! EVE!" he yelled out. He lifted her up and buried his face in her neck, her body spilling over, cold and lifeless. He shuddered and sobbed, but yet again no tears formed, no way out for the great Pumpkin King. No life, no death, nothing but the tears….the tears that would never ever form. And now, she was gone again.

oOo

Jack jolted awake, screaming. He looked around, Zero whimpered at the side of his bed. Jack gasped and gulped. What had just happened? He couldn't remember. He looked at Zero, who continued to whimper. Jack placed a hand on his head absentmindedly. He felt sad and tormented, but oddly enough couldn't remember why. He gasped.

"Ugh…I must say Zero….I can't take much more of this… " Jack told his loyal companion. He sighed and buried his skull in his hands. "Perhaps tomorrow the doctor will have an answer for me…" he said through his fingers. At this moment Zero got an idea and just maybe it might cheer his master up! He leapt off Jack's bed and over to his wardrobe, nuzzling it with his glowing orange nose. Jack looked reluctant, but followed his pup over to the black wooden wardrobe and open it. He knew immediately what it was Zero wanted to show him. Jack needn't look much to find it, the scent carried him to it. Eve's costume hung there in his closet, lifeless. He reached for it and began to feel the soft fabric through his fingertips. He could so easily remember the first time he saw her wear it, what a vision she had been! Jack quickly let go of the outfit, before all the memories began to rush back. He couldn't take it, not now. He smiled sadly at Zero and patted him on the head.

"You're right boy, I will get her back. We will get her back." he said, his tone slightly cheerier as he rubbed behind Zero's ears. "Thanks."

oOo

It was another overcast day in the land of Halloween and Jack looked around his town to see what his subjects were up to this day, trying to get his mind off of things. As he scanned his surroundings, he noticed that not many of the monsters were out today, which was quite odd. Confused slightly, Jack walked around town square to see it he could locate his fellow monsters. He walked past the town center fountain and the alleyway…to his immense surprise he count the number of monsters out on his hand.

"Where is everybody?" he wondered out loud. Finally he came to the steps of Town Hall and saw a faint glowing light coming from within it. _Are they holding a meeting without me? _he thought to himself. Scratching his head in wonder, he climb the stairs up to the hall. As he inched closer to the door, Jack heard the murmur of his subjects, but couldn't exactly make out what they were saying. He decided to go inside and see what was going on. Just as Jack set foot into the town hall, every monster turned and stared at him. Jack could feel himself on the spot, everyone's eyes were on him. Not saying a word, he walked towards the stage where he could see the doctor and mayor talking very seriously with one another. Jack gulped, had the doctor told the mayor what they had talked about the other day? He reached the stage and as he began to climb the stairs, both the mayor and the doctor stopped what they were doing to look at him. He stopped and took a deep breath.

"Doctor?" Jack asked softly. The doctor nodded to the mayor who then turned to the crowd.

"Alright! That will be all for today!" he shouted. Everyone rose on cue and left in a huddled mass. Jack watched them all go longingly. What he would give at that moment to be like all of them and not have a care in the world. He would soon discover this was not the case.

"Jack?" asked the doctor. Jack turned to face him, the mayor watching him from the pedestal where he stood. Jack eyed the two of them curiously, like a scared animal.

"Why was everyone in here?" Jack asked, the tone in his voice showing the slightest hint of fear. The doctor motored over to him, a small object clutched in his hand. Jack inspected it and after a moment, discovered that it was a tiny bottle, filled with purple liquid. Jack felt his fear melt into anxiety and he gave the mayor a fleeting glance. The doctor understood.

"Everyone knows, Jack." he said reassuringly. Jack tugged at his jacket.

"Everyone? But why?" Jack asked in an injured voice.

"Something much more serious has come to my attention." the doctor stated, getting right to the point. "Jack, I'm afraid things are much worse than we've previously anticipated."

"Worse…..you mean regarding the Halloween statistics you showed me the other day? What is it?" he asked.

"Jack, Halloween is in grave danger, in which case the point being, all of us are. That's why everyone was here…there are some things you don't know exactly…I guess I should start to before you were born into this world. Jack, you remember our previous ruler, don't you?" Jack grew quite as his memories flooded back to a time when another skeleton ruled the holiday of Halloween. Jack's mind flooded with images and events coming from a time when he was a subject of the former king and how Jack himself had won the title of king.

"Yes." he said plainly.

"Well, when he was in command, Halloween was built on the foundation of a scare factor. A factor almost pushing the boundaries of cruel, it forced us all to scare by any means necessary, even if it involved using dangerous tactics to do so." The doctor began to explain. Jack nodded, knowing all this already, and really rather not wanting to relive it.

"So as we went about our scaring and such, the holiday thrived and flourished. But when horrible things began to arise and the danger grew, we turned to you to free us from the tyrant. And in successfully doing, you rid us of his accursedness and founded a new grounds on which to build our holiday."

"Yes, but I don't see what that has to do wit-" Jack began. Finklestein nodded.

"I'm getting there. You see after you took over the holiday, well it wasn't quite the same anymore. In saying that the basis for Halloween began to deteriorate under your rule, and slowly people stopped having a reason to be scared, or even believe in what we do anymore." He replied. Jack could feel his heart sink and somehow Finklstein could sense this.

"Don't get me wrong! By no means are you failing as a king!" he exclaimed. Jack sat walked over to the edge of the stage and sat down, burying his face in his hands.

"Then what do you mean? What are you trying to tell me?" he asked, his words muffled in his palms.

"What I'm saying is this new Halloween that you give us every year, has been working against the foundation of the old Halloween, thus allowing the holiday to cave in on itself. Believe had I known this sooner, I would have informed you. You're method counters that of our last king, in almost a battle of good versus evil, and nothing can thrive when at war with itself." He stated. Jack dragged his hands away from his face and to his chin.

"What are you saying? I have to do exactly what he-?" he began.

"NO! Definitely not! That would fix nothing. But when you tried make Christmas your own holiday last year, it crumbled the last bit of the holiday that could stand on it's own, now it's slowly fading away and unless we do something to reverse this, Halloween, you, me, everyone will cease to exist!" Finklestein shouted. Jack could feel his eyes grow wide.

"Wh-what?" he stammered. The doctor nodded gravely. Jack shook his head. "An-and the way to stop this? I-is there one?" Finklstein looked away f0r a moment and nodded.

"Well…that's the other reason why everyone was here." He said quietly. There was a slight pause.

"Doctor?"

"Jack this also has to do with Eve. Look to fix this we almost have to reset this entire holiday, and since the Halloween is connected to our king, and since you are connected to Eve…we fear that the secret to how to fix this, lies with her. Perhaps if you two were to reunite…together you would bring together a new meaning for Halloween? At least this is our hope…" he finished sadly. Jack stared, looking at nothing. The mayor and the doctor waited for a response, but Jack remained quiet.

"Jack?"

…..

"Jack?"

"So now it's essential? I have to win her back? And not even for the reasons I originally want to?" Jack said shortly. The mayor and doctor's expressions turned solemn.

"Of course it's for your own personal reasons, but you have to understand, now it's a matter of our existence….please Jack, do this for you as well as for us…here." Said the doctor, handing Jack the bottle of purple liquid. Jack stared at it.

"This will turn you human again, just like we discussed…"

"But…how?"

"I needed materials from your human self….once you were changed out of your human clothes that night when you first arrived, I place them away from anywhere you could find them, so as to avoid you colliding with your past and damaging the holiday. However since that's already been done, I used what I found on your clothes to create this potion; a lock of your hair and some of your blood…this potion should be everything you need." He explained. Jack looked back to the bottle.

"The choice is yours Jack….do with it what you will…"


	5. Chapter 5:The Return of Jack Skellington

**A Nightmare Remembered**

Chapter IV: The Return of Jack Skellington

Jack lay slumped over on his tattered couch in his living room. In his hands was the little bottle with purple liquid in it…the potion that would turn him human again. He went from sitting, hunched over to laying spread out, putting a hand to his face. He groaned loudly, and brought the bottle to his face to inspect it better, spreading his fingers to see. Zero glided up to Jack to take part in whatever he was doing. Jack turned to Zero, a sad look upon his face.

"This will turn me human, you know…" Jack said to Zero, tilting the bottle so Zero could see. "Again…" Zero sniffed at the bottle and came to the conclusion that he didn't want anything to do with it. As Zero glided away, Jack watched him. "Easy for you to say." he scoffed after him. He sighed a long and strained sigh, placing his hands over face. He couldn't think, his mind was so clouded. It was not as if he didn't want to go back and bring Eve home, but the weight of what would come if he failed, as well as the sensation of being human again…began to make him feel very uneasy. Unfortunately for Jack, he didn't have the luxury to lay about and ponder it, and realization of this came with a knock on the door.

"Come in." Jack said in a muffled voice, his hands still covering his face. He could hear the door open and the sound of mechanical wheels trail in softly over his floor. As they got closer to him, he heard the mechanism slow down and eventually stop. Jack sighed and got up slowly to face Doctor Finklestein, whose eyes were fixed intently on the small potion in Jack's hand.

"I'm sorry if my news today…as well as how it was delivered, was uncomforting to you….but it couldn't be helped I'm afraid. I didn't want you to go into this blind….I hope this doesn't affect your decision or your feelings of the whole situation." the doctor said trying to comfort Jack. Jack lifted the bottle of potion to his eyelevel and thought hard. He never thought of failing when it came to Halloween, the one and only thing he cared about for over a hundred years, he never thought of failing before he met Eve and he had never been scared of anything before he met Eve. Now both clouded his mind. Jack stared, motionless and to the doctor's immense surprise a wide grin that he had not seen in a long time, spread across the Pumpkin King's face.

"I've never really stopped being human…and Eve reminded me of that…I've always had the tendency to fail and even though I know that this time, I believe this will inspire to try harder not to fail and….." Jack stopped and stood up. "And bring her back." The doctor was speechless, he felt he was looking at his king again. Jack grinned at him, but his attention was caught by a tiny bundle in the doctor's arms.

"What's that?" he asked pointing at it. The doctor snapped back to reality and handed the bundle to Jack.

"These are the clothes we found you in. You need to put these on before you take the potion, once you're human again, the clothes you're wearing now will be too tight." he explained. Jack unfolded the clothing and inspected it.

"Won't it be a bit suspicious?" he asked the doctor. "What with all the blood stains? The humans might suspect something right?"

"I'm sure you'll be fine, after all its all we have…you should go put it on." the doctor replied. Jack nodded and went into the next room. Within a few minutes he was back, with a very unamused look on his face.

"I look ridiculous." he said pointedly. The doctor chuckled.

"You should look better in a minute." he said uncorking the bottle of potion. He handed it to Jack. "Ready?"

"Do you know what I will look like?" Jack asked holding the bottle to his mouth.

"As you did in life of course."

"But what did I look-"

"I don't know. Drink up and we shall see won't we?" the doctor replied, frustration becoming evident in his voice. Jack nodded and gritting his eyes, raising the vial to his mouth. Suddenly he stopped and swiftly placed his hand over the top.

"Probably not here…it wouldn't do for the monsters to see a….a human running about." he said looking to the doctor for reassurance of his decision. Finklestein nodded and turned toward the door, with Jack right on his heels or rather wheels.

The two of them hurried through the dark Hinterlands, Jack almost tripping a few times, definitely he was out of his element, as was the act of holding up his pants, which Jack was not accustomed to doing. As they ventured further away from Halloween Town, Jack felt a slight sadness leaving his home and looked behind himself for a swift, silent good bye. Suddenly the doctor stopped, catching Jack off guard, causing him to run slightly passed him.

"Here?" he asked, not recognizing the forest surrounding him. The doctor nodded. Jack gripped the waist of his pants, nervous as the doctor motioned for Jack to drink the potion. Jack raised the vial once again to his mouth, but hesitated.

"Jack it has to be now, that potion won't be good forever." the doctor urged of him. Jack nodded. He closed his eyes and saw her, smiling, not with her mouth, but rather her eyes. They pleaded, searching for him in the darkness. Without a second more wasted, Jack gulped back the potion in one fast motion. He opened his eyes and looked toward the doctor, whose expression he couldn't read. Jack felt a sensation prick the tips of his fingers. At first it was warm, then it began to sear.

"Ahh!" Jack yelped. He waved his fingers as if to cool them off, but it was pointless, the heat only increased and began to work its way up his arms. "Wha-?" Jack began but pain began to work its way up him and grip his every limb and function. All at once a thick mist began to shroud the forest and surround Jack. It wrapped around him, squeezing his arms and legs like a vice. Jack began to panic and tried to move forward toward the doctor, who simply stared. But the pain was too much for him and caused his legs to give out. Every inch of him felt hot and heavy. Fog clambered over him, covering his form almost completely. A scream struggled in his throat, but no part of him seemed to want to work. The fog flowed over his shoulders and began to stream over his face. In one last attempt to escape what was happening, Jack managed to fling his arm over the cold hard ground, but the fog over took him and the last the doctor could see of Skeleton Jack was his boney fingers clawing at the dirt. Jack was gone and all was silent through the forest. The mist flowed all around the doctor who frantically looked for Jack.

"Jack? JACK?!" he yelled out. But no answer came. The doctor became shocked and could no longer move. After several minutes, a slight movement began to happen within the fog. The doctor stared. "Jack?" The fog shifted and slowly began to dissipate. The doctor inched closer and stared intently. He could make out a black, huddled mass curled within the mist. As the doctor reached over to touch the huddled form, it began to shudder and cough. Jack inhaled sharply and if he had been submerged underwater for a long time. He sat up, his back facing the doctor, and continued to cough well over a minute.

"Jack?" the doctor called once again. Jack, finally catching his breath, placed a hand on the ground to help himself up. The doctor stared at his hand, for this time it was not pale and boney, but fleshy, the skin a light olive coloration. Jack must have felt the doctor's stare because he in turn looked at his hand. He let out a sharp gasp and scrambled off the ground.

"Wh-wh-what?!" he stuttered. He turned around and that's when the doctor saw it….Jack Skellington, just as he had been in life. His hair was jet black and slightly longer than expected as it caressed the nape of his neck and fell over his eyes in an unruly fashion. His skin was a pale olive color, his body toned and firm as could be seen from his broad chest that pushed past his shirt and coat. The doctor caught Jack's eyes which were a new midnight black.

"I-I'm human!" Jack said, a tremble in his voice. The doctor nodded and grinned slightly. "Wh-what do I look like?" Jack muttered. Finklestein pointed to a nearby puddle. Jack staggered over and looked at his human self for the first time in over 100 years. He was silent for a long while. When he finally did speak, there was sadness in his voice.

"This is me?" he asked. "This is what I used to look like?"

"I suppose it must be…" the doctor replied. Jack looked at his hands and feet. He caressed his hair and touched his face.

"I can't believe it…I'm not ugly anymore…" he said amazed. The doctor sighed.

"I know this all must be very shocking, but you can't afford to spare any time. You must get going…" he urged. Jack nodded and looked at the ground.

"What about the town?"

"The mayor and I will oversee it." The doctor said reassuringly. Jack gave him a dubious look. The doctor chuckled slightly. "Well I will oversee it." Jack nodded and stood up. Suddenly he looked alarmed and began to bend his knees apart from each other. The doctor looked at him curiously.

"What?" he asked. Jack began to sway.

"I don't know, but I feel this odd weight between my legs…" he said looking slightly alarmed. The doctor opened his mouth to say something but thought about it for a moment.

"That's….well, you'll find out, just let it alone, you'll get used to it." He said. Jack stopped swaying and nodded.

"So….I guess this is good bye for a while…" Jack said sadly. The doctor nodded.

"Erm…all you'll have to do is follow that path." The doctor pointed out ahead. "You should find your way from there, you're new human presence has formed a pathway back to the human world, it should lead you right to where Eve lives." He said. Jack looked at the path and breathed in deeply. He looked back at the doctor and grinned.

"Thank you."


End file.
